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Brazil’s Senate gave final approval on Wednesday to a constitutional amendment slashing the maximum weekly working time from 44 to 40 hours while guaranteeing at least two days off without any reduction in pay. The measure passed by 75 votes to one in both required rounds of voting, with former vice president Hamilton Mourao casting the sole dissenting ballot. According to multiple reports from Reuters and Bloomberg, the amendment had cleared the lower house of Congress in May and now awaits promulgation by the full Congress to take effect.
The government estimates that more than 37 million formal-sector workers stand to benefit from the change, which effectively ends the six-days-on, one-day-off schedule still common in sectors such as retail and services. The transition will unfold gradually over 14 months, with an initial reduction to 42 hours within 60 days of promulgation followed by the full cut to 40 hours. Data compiled by O Globo from the Ministry of Labor’s annual RAIS survey and ILO statistics show that nearly 60 percent of CLT-contracted workers, around 35 million people, currently hold contracts exceeding 40 hours per week.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, quickly hailed the vote as a historic gain for labor. In a post on X, Lula described the amendment as a victory for workers and working women. “It’s more time to live, rest, be with family, watch your children grow, take care of yourself, and enjoy life,” he stated.
The approval comes at a pivotal moment in Brazil’s presidential campaign, with the runoff set for Oct. 25 against right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who reversed his earlier opposition to the measure and voted in favor. A July poll by the Quaest consultancy, cited across Reuters coverage, found nearly 70 percent of Brazilians supported shortening the workweek. Bloomberg reports indicated that Bolsonaro’s shift followed public pressure and street protests, even though his Liberal Party had previously argued the reform was timed to aid Lula’s reelection bid.
Economists have raised concerns about the measure’s potential drag on output in Latin America’s largest economy. Researchers at FGV Ibre estimated that the reduction could cut national value added by 2.9 percent in the absence of productivity gains or other adjustments, with larger effects in labor-intensive sectors such as commerce and transport. A separate Santander analysis placed the mechanical GDP impact at up to 2.5 percent as a ceiling figure, noting that companies might offset part of the shock through efficiency improvements or maintained overtime.
Brazil’s actual average weekly hours worked stand at roughly 40.1, below the global average of 42.7 according to a 2022-2023 study by FGV Ibre economist Daniel Duque drawing on ILO, World Bank and EU data. OECD figures place Brazil’s average annual hours per worker at about 1,708, lower than many emerging economies but still above several European nations with shorter legal limits. Business groups including the National Confederation of Industry had warned of payroll cost increases reaching 7 percent or more, though the government maintained the reform represents the most significant labor-rights update in decades.
